NBA Power Rankings: Grading Every Team, Post All-Star Game

The first half of the season brought us some intriguing basketball, and it's time to grade every team around the NBA coming out of the 2012 All-Star break.

With familiar teams at the top and bottom of the slagheap, the real shakeup is in the middle of the pack, where the Boston Celtics are falling and the Portland Trail Blazers are experiencing a tough patch in the road.

It's going to be tough to knock off the top-tier teams from where they currently sit, but the next stretch of the season will be sure to change the outlook of several teams.

The trade deadline is looming, and there are a lot of teams in the market.

30. Charlotte Bobcats

We knew that this would be a rebuilding season for the Bobcats, but just four wins in the first half of the season is a lot less progress than the team was hoping to see.

The real question for this team going forward will be about its ability to draft, because it's going to be extraordinarily tough for Charlotte to lure any marquee free agents into the fold despite the presence of Michael Jordan.

29. Washington Wizards

What has gone wrong in Washington this season? There is some legitimate talent on the court, but this team is not one with any sort of semblance at either end of the floor.

There are too many selfish plays being made consistently on offense, the athleticism on the roster isn't translating to results and the club can't afford to rely on John Wall a ridiculously large offensive burden.

28. New Orleans Hornets

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Record: 8-25

Grade: D

It's extraordinarily difficult to justify the rationale behind the Chris Paul trade when viewed through a retroactive lens, but at the time the deal was made, David Stern got exactly what he wanted to rebuild the Hornets.

New Orleans faces an incredibly challenging task in reconstructing roster, but the focus on the second half of the season should be on executing a plan for 2012-2013 and beyond.

25. Sacramento Kings

DeMarcus Cousins has really played a strong brand of basketball under Keith Smart, and the insertion of Isaiah Thomas into the starting lineup has given this group a jolt of energy.

There are still serious concerns about perimeter defense as well as spacing on both ends of the floor, but the coaching staff will be looking for marked improvement from this youthful roster for the remainder of the season.

23. Milwaukee Bucks

The injuries to Andrew Bogut and Drew Gooden have left the team desperate for production inside, but the larger concern at this point has to be the play of Brandon Jennings.

He cooled off considerably before the All-Star break after a hot start, and considering that he's already doing his "homework" on big-market teams, it might be time for this franchise to contemplate a future without him.

22. Cleveland Cavaliers

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Record: 13-18

Grade: B

There were absolutely no expectations for this Cleveland crew to contend for anything with two top-five draft picks and coming off of a historically bad season, but Kyrie Irving has flipped the script in a big way.

The team has a real shot to land a postseason berth if things align properly, and the Cavs are playing much better than almost anyone expected prior to the campaign beginning.

21. Golden State Warriors

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Record: 13-17

Grade: C+

There are some signs that the Warriors may be able to put a slow start to the season in the rear-view mirror, but health concerns surrounding Stephen Curry and consistent woes at the center position are two big, dark clouds hanging overhead.

The personnel has to match the coaching philosophy in order for a club to be clicking on all cylinders, and there is growing concern as to whether or not this is the right mix for Mark Jackson and the future.

20. Phoenix Suns

Phoenix remains adamant in the stance to keep Steve Nash despite a sub-.500 record, and the Suns have played much better after an absolutely dismal beginning to the year.

There are still mind-numbing contracts that bring questions about the decision-making in the front office, and the Suns will have to address that in order to achieve real progress in a crowded Western Conference.

19. Utah Jazz

The success at the beginning of the season that so many fans had claimed was for real and wasn't a mirage? There aren't many people still singing the same tune.

The depth along the frontline is nice to have, and there have been some solid contributions, but the problems in the backcourt are too great to overlook and really limits the ceiling of this team as constructed.

16. Denver Nuggets

Like several other teams around the league, the Nuggets have been banged up and without Danilo Gallinari (ankle) and Nene (calf, heel) at various points this season.

After a piping hot start, the Nuggets have a lot of questions to answer in the second half, and many are still concerned that the lack of a true "superstar" will override the impressive depth on the bench.

12. Atlanta Hawks

There was doom and gloom in the air when Al Horford (pectoral) went down this season, but the Hawks have been able to keep up the solid play despite being forced to move on without him.

Josh Smith's monstrous campaign is a big reason why Atlanta has been able to do that, but if it's going to continue in the second half, both Jeff Teague and Joe Johnson will have to step up their games to another level.

9. Orlando Magic

Obviously, the future of the Magic is tied directly to how Dwight Howard, and there won't be any fans resting easy until something more substantial happens on that front.

It's going to be next to impossible for this team (in its current form) to compete with a handful of teams in the Eastern Conference, and as well as Orlando has played at times, there isn't a lot to like outside of Howard.

He sets up the shooters on the perimeter, takes pressures off others and makes his teammates appear more far more talented than they might if playing with a different club.

4. San Antonio Spurs

Chris Chambers/Getty Images

Record: 24-10

Grade: A

Manu Ginobili has missed the majority of the season, but the Spurs have found impressive success on a consistent basis.

Tony Parker is a very real MVP candidate, Tim Duncan still has plenty to offer and surprising sources of contributions in Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Matt Bonner and Tiago Splitter has Gregg Popovich's team playing brilliant basketball once again.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder

The dynamic between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook has always been overblown, but anyone who thought there might have been an issue between the two has been effectively silenced this season.

Both 23-year-old stars are playing lights out basketball, but the bigger story (in terms of the team's overall success) has been the emergence of 22-year-olds James Harden and Serge Ibaka as big-time players for Oklahoma City.